Never Alone: Parenting in the Power of the Holy Spiritनमुना

Day Three: “He Never Leaves Us”

Read Psalm 139:7-10.

I might not know what valleys you’re walking through currently or what you’ve come through, but I do know there are no circumstances that can cause the Holy Spirit to leave you behind. He doesn’t give up on you when you give up on yourself. The Holy Spirit doesn’t abandon you when you stumble into sin. Your sadness doesn’t scare Him away. His abiding presence is internal and eternal. He is the faithful friend you long for, taking your hand and leading you toward your hope of wholeness. He is the loyal companion who comforts you in your grief and distress. And He is nearer than your own breath in the midst of your fears and loneliness.

Something we don’t hear much about is how lonely motherhood can be. It may even seem silly to say moms get lonely because, in many respects, we are never alone, right? In fact, we’ll do almost anything to get some alone time. We’ll hide in the bathroom or sit in our car long after we’ve pulled into the driveway just for a little solitude. But the truth is, motherhood can be terribly lonely, even when we’re surrounded by children.

You might feel lonely because ...

• You don't have the energy to invest in friendships because you have given everything you’ve got to your kids and there aren’t any leftovers for girlfriends.
• You are single or divorced and literally doing it alone.
• You are disconnected from your spouse—a result of exhaustion, disagreeing about how to parent your children, or from any attempt at intimacy being interrupted by little ones who will do anything to delay saying goodnight.
• It looks like life is passing you by. While you change diapers, you try to help with math homework that now feels above your pay grade. You might feel like everyone else is making their dreams come true while you’re just trying to decide what to make for dinner.

The majority of what we do as mothers is done in isolation, and so much of what we do feels invisible. Because while we’re making sure everyone else is OK, it feels like there’s nobody under our roof making sure we are OK.

You can know you are deeply loved but still feel terribly lonely.

The beautiful benefit of having the Holy Spirit is that we really are never alone. The One who remains with us doesn’t need anything from us.

His goal is to draw us deeper into intimacy with Jesus—and as a result, God gives us everything we need to parent the children He has entrusted to us. Imagine the Spirit not just taking up residence inside you but also feeling His companionship beside you and His power upon you!

Close by reading Psalm 46.

Sister, just as God was within His city and would not let it be destroyed, God is within you by His Spirit and He will not leave you or let you fall.